Yesterday’s Economic Development Corporation Cornerstone Awards luncheon not only highlighted the leading Kansas City companies and their outstanding projects, but also allowed Kansas City business leaders to celebrate the city’s economic growth, stability, and innovation.
The event kicked off at noon on Thursday with Mike Chesser and Clyde McQueen, past and present Chairmen of the Board of the EDC followed by a word for Mayor Mark Funkhouser and Jeff Kaczmarek, President and CEO of the EDC. Afterwards, Kansas City businesses who have contributed outstanding efforts to Kansas City economic growth were recognized, which included the presentation of the James C. Denney Spirit Award to Lee Derrough who “embodies the spirit of the award’s namesake and has left a lasting impression on the business community of Kansas City.”
Finally, the Cornerstone Awards presented keynote speaker Jeremy Gutsche, the host of TrendHunter TV and author of best-selling book, “Exploiting Chaos: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change.” The overall theme for the luncheon centered around “KC: RU Up 2d8?”, as Gutsche discussed how becoming a leader in expansion and development requires us to look beyond typical thinking to see the real trends in the marketplace.
Gutsche is a remarkable business man; at age 28, he was one of Captial One’s youngest Business Directors and innovation leads. With a relentless focus on innovation, he led his team to grow a $1 billion portfolio of market leading products. His interesting views and cutting-edge approach made an impact on the Kansas City business leaders who attended the EDC Cornerstone Awards Luncheon and may have even inspired more people to Think Big when it comes to innovation, market trends, and the definition of success.
A big thank you to the EDC and sponsors for putting on such a successful event!
Written by Allison Way. Allison Way is a writer and videographer for Think Big Partners and bizperc, two of Kansas City's newest entrepreneurial resources. To read more of Allison's articles, visit the Entrepreneurship Examiner.
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